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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · straw · object · staff · scale · chest · wake · can

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. staff — a stick
  3. can — a tin
  4. object — to protest
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a music group
  16. staff — employees
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. can — to be able to
  19. object — an aim
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. object — a thing
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com